by Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Lubbock, TX; (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Whether on your home computer, your tablet, or with your smart phone in the field, there is a convenient way to access chemical labels for everything from a quick check to assistance in planning your herbicide program. Chemical Data Management Systems, https://www.cdms.net, offers quick access to labels and Material Safety Data Sheets for herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, seed treatments, and many other labeled agricultural products. I rely on this website a… Read More →

by Jason Woodward, Associate Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, Lubbock, TX; jewoodward@ag.tamu.edu Stand establishment is a critical stage in maximizing yield and obtaining uniformity in maturity. Assessing stand establishment allows you to determine if your crop is growing adequately and may dictate subsequent management options. Historically, cotton producers would frequently utilize high plant populations and thin to a desired density after plants have emerged. Increased seed cost and the adoption of precision planters has resulted in producers utilizing lower plant populations. Cotton plants have the ability to compensate… Read More →

by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Extension Agronomist, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Extension Forages, Overton, 903-834-6191, vacorriher@ag.tamu.edu With the widespread presence of sugarcane aphid (SCA) in Texas in 2014 and the apparent expansion occurring again in 2015 for this damaging aphid to Texas sorghums—grain, forage sorghum, sorghum/sudan, etc.—growers interested in annual forage and grazing may have another option that appears to be unaffected by SCA. Hybrid pearl millet (HPM) is a leafy forage that can have a fit in some grazing and haying operations. Field observations in several… Read More →

by Thomas Isakeit, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, t-isakeit@tamu.edu Sorghum downy mildew is a disease that has potential to cause yield loss to susceptible hybrids if there is a high incidence in the field. Previous research has shown yield losses if disease incidence exceeds 30%. The disease occurs most commonly in the Upper Coast counties, and has usually been associated with fields grown under monoculture with hybrids susceptible to pathotypes 3 or 6. The seedling stage, about 3 to 4 weeks after planting, is a good growth stage… Read More →